How to transfer data from Samsung to Xiaomi: contacts, photos, applications

The transition from Samsung to Xiaomi is not just about changing your smartphone, it's about fully migrating your digital life. Your vacation photos, work contacts, saved messages, even alarm settings, all need to be carefully moved to keep things important. Fortunately, today's technology offers several reliable ways to transfer data, so you don't have to manually copy every folder.

But there's a nuance here. Samsung and Xiaomi run on different shells, One UI and MIUI respectively. This means that standard sync tools (like Google Account) may not carry some of the manufacturer-specific settings. And data volume plays a role: if you have tens of gigabytes of photos and videos, wireless methods can take hours. In this article, we'll look at all the current transfer methods, from the simplest to the most advanced, taking into account the features of both brands.

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Preparation for transfer: what to do before the start

Before you rush to copy files, take a few critical steps to save time and prevent data loss.

First, check the space on the new Xiaomi. If you're carrying 50GB of photos and you're 30GB on your device, the process will stop in the middle. Go to Settings → Storage and clear the unnecessary files, especially for the budget Redmi models with 64GB of memory.

Second, update the firmware on both phones. Outdated versions of MIUI or One UI may not support modern transfer protocols. For example, Xiaomi 12T with MIUI 14 has an improved feature Mi Mover, which is faster than previous versions.

And finally, back up on an old Samsung. Even if you're sure of the portability method, technical failures do happen. Use a Samsung Cloud or Smart Switch to back up on your PC. It takes 10 to 15 minutes, but it saves data in case of an error.

• 📱 On Samsung: Update Smart Switch in the Galaxy Store.
• 🔄 On Xiaomi: Install the latest version of Mi Mover from the App Store.
• 🔌 Accessories: Prepare the original USB-cable (better from Samsung) - it supports high transmission speeds).
• 📡 Network: If you plan to wirelessly transfer, connect both phones to the same 5GHz Wi-Fi network.

⚠️ Note: If storage encryption is enabled on Samsung (Settings) → Biometrics and safety → Encryption, some portability techniques may not work. In this case, use Smart Switch over PC.

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2. Method 1: Mi Mover is the official tool of Xiaomi

Mi Mover is a Xiaomi-branded app that was designed specifically for migrating from other Android devices, and supports transferring contacts, messages, photos, videos, audio, documents, and even certain settings (such as wallpaper and alarm clocks), the main advantage of which is that you don’t need to connect to a PC.

To use Mi Mover, follow the following steps:

1. Download Mi Mover on both phones: on Samsung – from Google Play, on Xiaomi – from the App Store (usually preinstalled).
2. Open the app on both devices and select the roles: “Sender” (on Samsung) and “Receiver” (on Xiaomi).
3. Xiaomi will appear QR-Scan it with a Samsung camera.
4. Select data types to transfer (you can mark all or only the desired categories).
5. Confirm the transmission. It'll take 5 to 30 minutes depending on the volume.

Transfer speeds over Mi Mover are about 10-15 MB/s when connecting to 5 GHz Wi-Fi. If the network is weak, use a direct connection via Wi-Fi Direct (the option will appear in the application automatically).

Charging the battery of both phones > 50%|Disabled. VPN and energy-saving regimes|Xiaomi has enough data space|Both phones are connected to the same network (or Wi-Fi Direct is used)-->

⚠️ Note: Mi Mover does not tolerate installed applications and their data (for example, save in games.

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3. Method 2: Smart Switch from Samsung (via cable or PC)

Samsung Smart Switch is a versatile tool for backup and data transfer.It works not only between Samsung devices, but also allows you to export information to other Android smartphones, including Xiaomi. USB-cable or computer.

Option A: Direct cable transport

• 🔌 Connect both phones to charge (transfers can take a long time).
• 📱 Install Smart Switch on Xiaomi from Google Play.
• 🔄 Connect your phones to each other through USB-OTG Adapter (you will need if Xiaomi has a connector) USB-C, And Samsung has Micro-USB).
• 📤 On Samsung, select Send Data, on Xiaomi, Choose Get Data".

Option B: Computer transfer

1. Download Smart Switch for PC from the official Samsung website.
2. Connect Samsung to your computer and create a backup (“Reservations” → select data → “OK”).
3. Turn off Samsung, plug in Xiaomi and select Restore.
4. Specify the path to the backup file (usually saved in C:\Users\Username\Documents\Samsung\SmartSwitch).

Smart Switch has the advantage of supporting apps and their data (as opposed to Mi Mover), but some Samsung system settings (like Bixby Routines) won’t be migrated to Xiaomi due to the different shells.

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If Smart Switch can’t see Xiaomi through cable, try using another one. USB-port on PC or disable antivirus – it can block drivers.

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4. Method 3: Transfer through Google Account (for contacts, calendar, mail)

If you only need to migrate contacts, calendar events, notes and email, the easiest way is to sync through Google Account, which requires no additional apps and works on any Android device.

Instructions:

1. On Samsung, open Settings → Accounts and Archiving → Account Management.
2. Select your Google Account and enable sync for Contacts, Calendar and other data you need.
3. Wait for the sync to complete (check in Google Contacts on the web version).
4. On Xiaomi, add the same Google Account to Settings → Accounts → Add an account.
5. Turn on sync – the data will automatically be pulled to the new phone.

This is ideal for basic migration, but it has limitations.

• 🚫 Photos, videos, music and documents are not transferred (only if they are uploaded separately to Google Photos).
• 🚫 Some system settings (such as Always On Display) are not synced.
• 🚫 Applications are not portable, only their listings in Google Play (you will have to install manually).

Important: If Samsung used a Samsung account instead of Google, export your contacts in.vcf format first through the Contacts app → Contact Management → Import/Export.

Using cloud services (Google Drive, Mi Cloud)|Direct cable (Mi Mover, Smart Switch)|Through the computer|Manual transfer (copying files)|Another way.-->

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5. Method 4: Porting Photos and Videos to Google Photos

If the bulk of data is photos and videos, Google Photos is the best option. the service offers 15 GB of free space (with Google Drive) and automatically optimizes the quality of media files to save space.

How to move:

1. On Samsung, install Google Photos (if not installed).
2. Open the app and log in to your Google Account.
3. Enable "Backup and Sync" in the settings (Photo → Settings → Backup).
4. Select quality: "Original" - saves the original resolution (takes up space in the cloud); "High quality" - compresses files, but without loss of visible quality (free and without restrictions).

Wait until the download is complete (you can track the progress in notifications).

Xiaomi

Google Photo

Advantages of the method:

• 🌐 Access photos from any device (even through the web version of photos.google.com).
• 🔍 Automatic sorting by person, place and event.
• 📱 The ability to free up space on the phone after downloading ("Free space" in the settings).

⚠️ Note: If you have more than 15GB of photos, consider a paid Google One subscription (up from 139GB) ₽/100GB per month) or use alternatives like Mi Cloud (5GB free) or Yandex Drive (10GB free).

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Method 5: Manual transfer via computer (for advanced users)

If you need to migrate specific data (such as files from root folders, app settings, or game data), the best way to do this is to manually copy it over a PC, which takes longer, but gives you complete control over the process.

Step-by-step:

1. Connect Samsung to your computer via USB-cable.
2. In the phone notification area, select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
3. Open This PC on your PC – your Samsung will appear as a removable drive.
4. Copy the folders you want: DCIM for photos and videos, Downloads for downloads, Documents for documents, Android/data for application data (root rights are required for full access).

Samsung

Xiaomi

To transfer applications and their data, additional tools will be required:

• 📦 APK Extractor - extracts APK-file.
• 🔧 Swift Backup (requires root) – creates a backup of application data.
• 🖥️ ADB — Advanced users (adb backup and adb restore commands).

Example of a backup team via ADB:

adb backup -apk -obb -shared -all -f backup.ab

And for recovery:

adb restore backup.ab

⚠️ Note: Manually porting app data (such as game saves) may not work due to differences in Samsung and Xiaomi architecture.In this case, use the built-in backup features in the apps themselves (such as WhatsApp). → Settings → chat → Backup copy).

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Manual transfer over a PC is the only way to guarantee all data, including hidden files and application settings, but it takes technical skills and time.

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7. Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them

Even when following instructions, users have problems with data transfer, and let's look at the most common errors and their solutions.

Problem 1: Mi Mover or Smart Switch is either 0% or 99%

• 🔋 Check the battery power – if it is below 20%, the process may be interrupted.
• 📶 Switch to another Wi-Fi network (or use a mobile hotspot).
• 🔄 Restart both phones and try again.
• 📱 Update Mi Mover and Smart Switch apps to the latest version.

Problem 2: Contacts are not transferred or duplicated

• 📇 Make sure that your contacts are saved in your Google Account, not in your phone’s memory or SIM-map.
• 🔍 Check the synchronization settings: Settings → Accounts. → Google → Synchronization of contacts.
• 🗑️ If contacts are duplicated, use the Contacts app. → "Contact management" → "Combine the takes".

Problem 3: Photos and videos are not displayed in the Xiaomi Gallery

• 🖼️ Check if the files have been copied to the folders DCIM/Camera or Pictures.
• 🔄 Restart the Gallery app or update its media index in settings.
• 📁 If files are in format.HEIC (iPhone format, install the codec HEIF Image Viewer from Google Play.

Issue 4: Apps are not restored after the transfer

• 📥 Make sure that Xiaomi has enabled the “Application Recovery” option in Settings → Google → Recovery.
• 🔓 Check if it's blocking. MIUI Optimizer installation of third-party APK (turn off the settings → Special facilities → MIUI Optimization).
• 🛠️ If apps aren’t installed, download them manually from Google Play.

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8. FAQ: Answers to popular questions